NEW YORK — Women are feeling more optimistic than ever about achieving their dreams thanks to Kamala Harris’ rise to the vice presidency, a new survey finds.
Ahead of International Women’s Day, a OnePoll study asked 1,000 American women and 1,000 American men to analyze their views on gender equality in the United States and the impact of Vice President Harris’ election. Half of the women surveyed said they feel more empowered now that a woman is the vice president.
The survey also analyzed respondents’ views on gender discrimination as a whole in the country and finds the public is seeing progress over the last year. Compared to last year’s survey, commissioned by Vitamin Angels, there was a sharp decline in how many respondents felt there was gender inequality in today’s world at 58 percent. That’s down nearly 20 percent from last year’s survey, which finished at 76 percent.
Gender discrimination finally fading?
Last year’s survey also revealed 63 percent of respondents worried there will always be gender discrimination in the U.S. but this has decreased this year to 57 percent. Half of women polled in 2020 shared they felt gender discrimination on a near daily basis, however, this year’s results show this is down to 39 percent.
Specifically, in this year’s survey, six in 10 respondents (both men and women) said having a woman vice president has made them hopeful for the future of women’s equality. The survey also found that 59 percent of respondents believed that the U.S. can easily have a woman as president within the next 10 years.
Looking at Washington as a whole, 59 percent of those surveyed shared they think more progress will be made toward women’s equality now that more women are playing an active role on Capitol Hill. Half of respondents agree that no matter your party, it’s crucial to have more women in leadership positions in Washington. Another 66 percent of those surveyed believe that women are the cornerstone to healthy communities and 51 percent believe that nutrition plays a key role in empowering women to achieve their greatest potential.
“Nothing is more effective at building strong, sustainable and just societies than the empowerment of women,” says Howard Schiffer, Vitamin Angels Founder & President in a statement. “At Vitamin Angels, to build a more just world, we start at the very beginning by providing essential nutrients to underserved pregnant women and young children. As families and communities thrive, the path toward equity opens up for all.”
Making things better for the next generation
Reflecting on their own childhoods, 54 percent of women polled wished they had more comprehensive and inclusive female role models when they were growing up, compared to 44 percent of men. For women with a daughter (about 700 respondents), 62 percent feel they can now tell their daughters that they really can be anything they want to be when they grow up – now that a woman is the vice president.
The majority of women in the survey (66%) also shared they believe young girls growing up today have more opportunities than they did growing up. Six in 10 also agree today’s young women can truly grow up to be anything they want.
“Research has shown that when women are empowered, communities flourish,” Schiffer adds. “In order to achieve a more equitable world, women must be given a seat at the table.”